I asked a few of my favorite chefs for their advise on preparing the biggest meal of the year for most of us and put together this Top ? list to help make your holiday a little easier.

You can also check out my article called Let’s Talk Turkey or my blog post, Turkey Basics or head over to my new RG Cooking Community and check out some of the posts on Thanksgiving Day Dinner Tips. If you have some of our own, please sign up and post them.

Chef Introduction

First I would like to introduce the chef’s who offered up their professional advice and thank them. If you click on their links, you can read all about them in my Novice2Pro interviews with them.

Chef David Nelson, co-founder of Chef4Students.org

Chef Leslie Bilderback, Certified Master Baker & Cookbook Author

Chef Jennifer Field, creator of PastryChefOnline

Chef Mark Vogel, Newspaper columnist

Here’s are some of their very helpful suggestions:

PREPARING YOUR MENU

Chef Field - “Make a chart listing all the dishes you plan to serve, prep time for each, whether it can be made ahead or not, etc.  Then, you can plan to get some things done on Tuesday or Wednesday (or even the weekend before, depending on what you’re making).  Spread out over a few days, Thanksgiving is much less daunting. 

Oh, and set your table completely the day before, and according to your list. (If you’re passing 4 sides at the table, you’ll want to make sure you have the right serving pieces).

 It seems like such a small thing, but it’ll save you from having to run around like a crazy person trying to find a pickle fork at the last second!”

HOW MUCH TURKEY SHOULD YOU BUY?

Chef Nelson - “ 3/4 of a pound will get the job done, but he recommends, “one pound of uncooked turkey per person, to ensure lots of choice and some leftovers.”

WHAT KIND OF TURKEY SHOULD YOU BUY?

Chef Vogel - “Wild turkeys are a little tougher, (although more flavorful), than commercial turkeys since they get considerably more exercise.  But that also means less fat and ergo, less succulence. Younger turkeys will be more tender than their older counterparts.  For the most tender, juiciest turkey, pick a young one that’s been cooped up in a pen.”

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Cooking a turkey is not that difficult. In my opinion, it’s all the side dishes and desserts that become intimidating. But for those of you who are just a little intimidated or “reluctant” about cooking the Thanksgiving bird, here are some basic cooking tips that might help. I’ll also supply you with some phone numbers to hot lines if you get into trouble.

Defrosting a Turkey

First of all, if your bird is still in the supermarket freeze or you own freezer, it’s time to get it out to start defrosting. The classic way to defrost a frozen turkey is in the refrigerator but depending on the size, this can take three to four days or six hours per pound.

This is the safest way to defrost a frozen turkey, but really, who has that much time or room in their refrigerator. Instead, you can thaw a turkey in a sink of cold water. Leave the plastic wrapper on the turkey and place it in a sink filled with cold water. Some sources will say the water should be icy cold so you can add ice if you like, but it is important to change the water every once in a while to make sure it stays cold.

How Long Does It Take To Defrost?

Figure on about 30 minutes per pound. This means a small 10-pound frozen turkey should take about 5 hours to defrost. A big honker 18-pound turkey will take as long as 9 hours. Once the turkey is fully defrosted, be sure to get it back into the refrigerator until you are ready to start cooking it.

Roasting a Turkey

There are lots of ways to cook a turkey including grilling, deep-frying, and the traditional roasting method of which there are dozens of techniques.  Breast up, breast down, high temperature, low temperature, breast covered in bacon, duck fat or tin foil. You name it and somebody has figured a way to do it to a turkey.

Me, I like to roast a turkey at 325°F to 350°F for 15 minutes per pound than crank up the heat and cook it for 10 minutes per pound at 375°F. I’ve also seen recipes that start you at 450°F for an hour and then turn the temperature down to 350°F for the rest of the time.

These times are all assuming the bird is unstuffed.  If you do stuff your turkey, be sure to add an additional 5 minutes per pound but be sure the stuffing reaches a temperature of at least 165°F or you can get yourself sick.

To Stuff or Not Stuff

Whether to stuff the bird with stuffing or cook the stuffing in a separate pan is a big debate in the culinary world.  I’m sure

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